Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Penguins head into opener down multiple forwards against defending champs

October 11, 2021, 4:36 PM ET [53 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Tomorrow the Penguins will kick their season off against the two-time defending champions. They will be bringing their captain along for the trip, but he will not be in game action.





All in all it is great news to have Crosby traveling with the team. His timeline is encouraging and we will likely see him in game action sooner than later. This is huge for a Penguins team that needs a lot of things to fall their way in the upcoming season.

So while Crosby’s absence was expected not so much for Jake Guentzel and Zach Aston-Reese who will both be missing opening night due to the fallout from COVID.





Needless to say, going up against Tampa Bay even with a full lineup is a tough task. Missing your best three forwards and solid 4th line player is certainly less than ideal.

Here is how the Penguins are projected heading into the 2021-22 season





For years the Penguins forwards were the driving force of their success. Things aren’t quite the way they used to be as they enter this season with middle of the road forwards. The defense ranks 12th which is not a bad place to be and that is with the top pairing not rating so highly. Kris Letang had a good season point wise last year, but he will need to play better than he did last season where for the first time he showed a decline in his ability to drive play. Was it a bump in the road or the new normal?

The goaltending is near the bottom of the league and it was their undoing against the New York Islanders. Even if the players play above expectations, they will not be able to overcome the poor goaltending if it were to be an issue this season. Tristan Jarry has a lot to prove and probably not a long time to prove it.

The salary cap finally caught up to the Lightning this past offseason as they lost Yanni Gourd, Tyler Johnson, Blake Coleman, and Barclay Goodrow. They will have Nikita Kucherov for the regular season for the first time in over a year and they will still be very good



Their defense is their weak spot, but it is mitigated by having one of the best goaltenders in the sport in Andrei Vasilevsky who was worthy candidate for the Vezina Trophy last season.

Thanks for reading!
Join the Discussion: » 53 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Ryan Wilson
» Penguins earn victory on Jake night
» A salute to Jake Guentzel
» Sid puts on show as Avs dig out of hole
» A dud in Dallas
» My thoughts on Dubas' thoughts